Diary entries forManhunter
Manhunter
Damn. I feel like it's almost all right there, all the ingredients for a solid "pastel noir" 80's thriller. No, they are all right there. I just could not get around the lead actor's performance for that character. And in what's probably a first, an electronic score that threw me off? What is happening :(
Manhunter
Michael Mann sure does love the color blue, and nighttime cinematography (he is very good at it)
Manhunter
Se for assistir veja a versão com o corte do diretor, pois é bem mais completa e faz toda a diferença no ritmo do filme. É uma pena que foi um fracasso de bilheteria na época, mas o tempo reconheceu o seu valor como um filme cult.
Manhunter
Unreal atmosphere and score, and it ends with a freeze frame! Combine with To Live and Die in LA for the ultimate William Petersen double header
Manhunter
The music, the 80's blue, damn
Manhunter
59/100 Man romanticised a bloody serial killer. The entire issue with this film is that Michael Mann decided to make a psychological thriller using the classic 80s romantic film template - doesn’t work. Also, the music choices are awful for the tone; they’re good at certain times and get you to feel the vibe of a Mann film but in the important moments, they are severely contrasting. I didn’t like Brian Cox’s Lecter either. The lead actor was good but everything else is like trying its best to stray away from what it’s supposed to be - a psychological thriller. However it is slightly difficult to keep track of it and that is certainly a redeeming factor.
Manhunter
very interesting watching this as someone who’s currently watching the NBC Hannibal series and seeing characters that have a stronger role in that mentioned only briefly in this. also having now seen all 3 portrayals of Hannibal I have to stay this one stands on its own pretty well, despite being notably different from Hopkins’ and Mikkelsen’s portrayals of the character. really well shot movie, especially with a lot of the nighttime and outdoors shots with the striking blue colors. and the score is great too. the overall atmosphere really works for this one. also, again, more familiar with his character in the TV show adaptation but Will Graham is a very compelling protagonist.
Manhunter
Ok, I’m going to try and articulate my thoughts as best as I can. Below is my review for both Manhunter and Red Dragon (https://letterboxd.com/film/red-dragon/), seeing as how I watched them back-to-back and they’re both adaptations of Harris’ novel. Yes, in my humble opinion, Red Dragon is a better overall film and a better adaptation than this one. There are many reasons and observations that have led me to this conclusion. The two things I’ll applaud Manhunter for are its performances and cinematography. While Dragon has the bigger stars, this one has bigger characters. Will’s emotional and mental state feels more fleshed out, although I don’t find Peterson’s acting to be especially convincing. While I much prefer Hopkins’ sophisticatedly cold Hannibal over Cox’s regular ol’ psychopath, I think both bring something different to the table that can be appreciated. The same goes for “The Tooth Fairy”; both iterations of the character are totally menacing but in their own way. Dragon’s mentally unstable killer is jacked, confident, almost handsome, and more developed as a character, while the other is tall, ugly, and childlike, but sadly lacks further expansion on his background and motives. There’s not much to say about the cinematography, other than the same guy did both films and they’re vastly different yet beautiful approaches (Manhuntertakes the lead here). Now, the two biggest hits that drop my Manhunter rating down a smidge and elevate Red Dragon above it are the score and the ending. The former is filled with (what I refer to as) cheesy 80s synth and a handful of rock songs that play during moments, like the climax, where that genre doesn’t exactly feel appropriate. On the other hand, Danny “Genius” Elfman’s Dragon score is filled with epic orchestral buildups and a tense atmosphere that actually felt suspenseful. My biggest grievance against Manhunter, and I’m not exactly sure why this happened, is that they totally butchered the adapted ending. It’s one thing to make a slight tweak so that it translate better on screen, but to just completely change the climax (to a poorly edited shootout) and then leave out an entire portion of the ending, especially with that crazy of a twist?? I cannot forgive them for what they did. Based purely on the films’ conclusions, Red Dragon wins every time.
Manhunter
Criminally under seen. Unfortunate that Hopkins because so overbearing on the series, would love to see the return of Cox and Peterson. Incredible score.
Manhunter
The best Hannibal film.
